LONDON (Reuters) - British mobile phone maker Sendo said on Thursday it had abandoned a long-awaited Microsoft-based phone and chosen to go with Nokia (news - web sites) software instead.

Despite being one of the launching partners for the Microsoft Smartphone program, Sendo Chief Executive Hugh Brogan said it had given up on the Sendo Z100 Smartphone that had been due for launch within weeks.

"There will not be products based on Microsoft. There is not going to be a Z100," Brogan said.

Niklas Savander, who is in charge of Nokia mobile software, said Sendo has agreed to license its Series 60 software -- a suite of applications that runs on the operating system of Symbian.

How can this be? How can you get SOOOO close to launch a piece of HARDWARE and then decide to scrap it entirely? Obviously it's been vapor for a long time - I wouldn't trust anything this company announces from now on.